PSHRA® Appoints 2025 President-Elect, New Executive Council Members

The Public Sector HR Association (PSHRA^®) has elected Amy Blake, IPMA-SCP, as the association’s 2025 President-Elect, to represent the interests of public sector HR professionals.

Blake has spent the bulk of her 20-plus year professional life in public service, and has served as the HR and risk management director for the City of Liberty, Mo., for the past 18 years.

A member of PSHRA^® since moving to the Kansas City area in 2003, Blake’s introduction to the association was as program chair for its Greater Kansas City chapter, where she has assisted with every regional and national PSHRA^® conference within the Kansas City area since joining the Greater Kansas City chapter.

She has also served as president-elect, president and past president of the same chapter, and has received the Thomas F. Lewinsohn Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Chapter. Blake, a Central Region Board member from 2021 to 2023, is also a recipient of the Chapter Award of Excellence from PSHRA^® National.

Blake is looking forward to the opportunity to serve the PSHRA^® community in a number of ways as its President-Elect, and she has already identified her primary goals for her term.

“Supporting and growing chapters in their grassroots, community-based programs and training and networking opportunities has to be a priority,” Blake said. “Local chapters provide volunteer and leadership roles to you, as members who otherwise might not have those experiences. To all the chapter-less members, those without connections and opportunities, I see you. I want to help PSHRA^® in supporting you.”

Blake’s term of service will begin Jan. 1, 2025.

In 2025, Blake will serve alongside Andrea Cutler, PSHRA^® 2025 Executive Council President, and Mark Van Bruggen, PSHRA^® 2025 Past President.

The PSHRA^® Executive Council also appointed five new members to the Council for 2025. The newly appointed council members are Melanie Ault (Employee Relations Senior Advisor, Carver County, Minn.), PSHRA^® South Advisory Committee representative Bersheba Austin (HR Director, Anniston, Ala.), Laurie Barr (Director of Human Resources, Eastham, Mass.), PSHRA^® Central Advisory Committee representative Allison LeMay (Senior Manager, Public Sector Consulting, Baker Tilly) and Kimberly Meismer (Assistant City Manager, City of Kerrville, Texas). All five will begin their three-year terms on Jan. 1, 2025.

The following Executive Council members will continue their terms on the Council: Shawn Aulgur (Human Resources Director, City of Raymore, Mo.), PSHRA^® West Advisory Committee representative Tamara Dixon (Director of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer, City of Northglenn, Colo.), PSHRA^® East Advisory Committee representative Joe Genovay, Stacey Lewis (CEO and Founder, HRInterrupted), 2025 Secretary Carol Rubino (Personnel Board Manager, Prince George’s County Government, Md.) and 2025 Treasurer Jason Vinette (Director of Personnel, Town of Irondequoit, N.Y.).

“PSHRA^® is excited to head into 2025 with our Executive Council members helping to lead the way,” said PSHRA^® CEO Cara Woodson Welch (PSHRA^® Executive Council Ex-Officio Member). “These members exemplify the best of what our Association has to offer, and we look forward to working with this group to continue fulfilling our mission in the year ahead.”